The new album by L.A. garage greats together PANGEA is called Badillac, which is amazing. And so is the song, a more laid-back song for the band showing off their melodic side. Get excited for Badillac, which is due next week, Jan. 21, on Harvest (they’ll be at The Smell that day, too). Hear it at Soundcloud.

Ben Chasny is a busy guy, having released scores of music as psych-folk act Six Organs of Admittance, with acid-rockers Comets on Fire and others. Now he’s teamed up with Donovan Quinn of Skygreen Leopards as New Bums. The first taste, “Black Bough,” is a beautiful little ditty with some orchestral brushes and amazing acoustic guitarwork. Voices in a Rented Room is due Feb. 18 on Drag City.

The Odd Futuretrio MellowHigh (formerly a duo known as MellowHype) are generating much salivation for their first, self-titled album. One listen to the old-school-flavored “Extinguisher” and it’s not hard to hear why. “Hip-hop is back” one of them says near the end of the song. No doubt. The album’s due on Halloween via Odd Future.

Nor. Cal.’s Tera Melos are one of the coolest guitar bands around, wrangling their guitar necks around each other with much interlocking riff mayhem. See how they do it with a video of their performance at Amoeba SF below. Read my interview with the band here, and check out their album X’ed Out.

The new band featuring Ali Koehler of Vivian Girls/formerly of Best Coast, Jennifer Prince on guitar and Patty Schemel, formerly of Hole (and of Hit So Hard, the documentary made about her) has debuted the title track from its forthcoming album on Don Giovanni, due Oct. 29. It’s a scrappy power-popper in the vein of such bands as Heavenly, Bettie Serveert and Velocity Girl. If you have a yen for female-fronted alt-rock, you’ll love Upset. They’ll be at S.F.’s Bottom of the Hill Nov. 20 and L.A.’s Echoplex Nov. 21. You can pick up first single “Oxfords and Wingtips” from Amoeba now, or preorder She's Gone here! (Also, check out how Upset fits into the Vivian Girls Family Tree.)

The members of L.A. darkwave rockers Abe Vigoda have recently been focusing on other projects, including dream pop bands Roses and Dunes. Now lead singer Michael Vidal has unveiled a gorgeous collection of songs called Dream Center. “Dreams (Come Back to Me)” hums along on muted guitar and Vidal’s swooning baritone, sounding a bit like a Christine McVie-led Fleetwood Mac track until the groove goes full-tilt with a gleaming guitar rush at the end. Download it free from Amoeba.

L.A.’s Best Coast are following up last year’s excellent The Only Place with a mini album called Fade Away. The seven-song release features two songs she released on Record Store Day—“Fear of My Identity” and “Who Have I Become”—plus five more new ones. It’ll be out Oct 22 on frontwoman Bethany Cosentino’s new label, Jewel City. Read my interview with Best Coast here.